PHYSICS

INVESTIGAT
ORY
PROJECT

2019-2020
 CERTIFICATE
This is to certify that Niketha Roshan of class 12th
Kendriya Vidyalaya Nalgonda has successfully
completed research in the below given project
under the topic :

‘’ To study the refractive index of prism’’

During the academic year 2019-2020 under the

guidance of Mrs T.S Lashmi

Conducted by AISSCE.
INTERNAL EXAMINER EXTERNAL EXAMINER

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I would like to express my immense gratitude

to my teacher Mrs T.S Lakshmi for the help
and guidance she provided for completing
the investigatory project.
I also thank my parents who gave their
ideas and inputs n making this project. Most
of all I thank our school managements for
providing us the facilities and opportunities
to do this project.
Lastly, I would like to thank my school
mates who have rendered and done this
project along with me. Their support made
this project fruitful.

ABSTRACT

A prism is a transparent optical element with

flat, polished surfaces that refract light.
Prisms can be made from any material that is
transparent including glass, plastics and
fluorite.
A prism can be used to break light up into
its constituent spectral colors. Prism can also
be used to reflect light, or to split light into
components with different polarizations.
AIM:
To find the refractive index of the material of
the prism by using the 2 formulae:
1. u = sin(A + d/2)/ sin(A/2)
2. u = sin i/sin r

APPARATUS:

 Drawing board
 White sheets of paper
 Hollow prism
 Different liquids
 Drawing pins
 Half meter scale
 Graph papers
 Protractor

THEORY:
PROCEDURE:
 Fix a white sheet of paper on a
drawing board with help of drawing pins.
 Keep the prism and mark the outline
of it as ABC.
 Draw a normal on the side PQ.
 Draw the angle of incidence in
accordance with the normal PQ and
place 2 pins so that they appear to be in
straight line.
 Now take the pins and place them on
the side AC so that all the 4 pins appear
to be in the same line.
 Remove the prism and draw the line
joining the points so obtained.
  Mark the diagram as shown in the
figure.
 Repeat the same with different angle
of incidence.

OBSERVATION:
Angle of prism = 60

S.NO ANGLE OF ANGLE OF ANGLE OF

INCIDENCE DEVIATION REFRACTION

1. 35 40
2. 40 43
3. 45 37
4. 50 42
5. 55 43
6. 60 45
CALCULATIONS:
Plot the graph between angle of incidence
and the angle of deviation by taking i along
the x-axis and d along the y-axis. From the
graph we get the angle of minimum
deviation.
D = 37
PRECAUTION:
1. The angle of incidence should lie between
35-60.
2. The pins should be fixed vertical.
3. The distance between the two pins should
not be less than 10mm.
4. Arrow heads should be marked to
represent the incident and emergent rays.
5. The same angle of prism should be used
for all the observations.

SOURCES OF ERROR:
1. Pin pricks may be thick.
2. Measurement of angles may be wrong.